Heat indicator for internal-combustion engines



May 7, 1929. H. H. BOYCE HEAT INDICATOR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Malrch 29, 1927 JNVENTOR Patented May 7, 1929.

UNITED STATES HARRISON HURLBERT BOYCE, OF JERICHO, NEW YORK.

HEAT INDICATOR FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Application filed March 29, 1927.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved indicating element for a device for indicating the condition within an automobile radiator.

i Specifically one object of this invention is to provide an indicating device which will indicate the condition within the radiator not only by its position but also by the era hibited color of the indicating element.

Another object of this invention is to pro vide an. indicating member which is both translated and rotated by changes in the condition within the radiator.

Anotherobject of this invention to produce a rugged, el'licient yet easily readable indicating device which is also cheap oil manufacture.

Other obj ects and advantages of my invcntion will appear from the following description and. appended drawings in which Fig. 1 a rear elevation view o't my device partly in. section and. with parts rei'noved to more clearly disclose my invention.

1 2 .is a front elevation view of my device with all parts in place.

l 3 is a cross-section on the line 55?) of Fig. 2 with the indicating element shown in. central position.

its will. be readily seen from the drawings, my device consists of usual casing 1 having an integn'al hollow stem 2 adapted to project thru a radiator cap (not shown) into the space above the water in. a radiator. The stem 2 is provided with a shoulder 3 adapted to seat against the outside of a radiator cap and with a threaded portion 4t to receive a nut (not shown) for securing the device to the radiator cap in the customary manner. i

The casing; 1 is provided with the usual front and back bezels designated respectively by the numerals 5 and 6. The bezels are held in place respectively on the casing 1 by retaining rings 7 and 8. Between the front bezel 5 and the casing 1 a dial 9 and between the back bezel 6 and the casing 1 is a dial 10. These dials will be more fully described hereinafter.

I have shown in the drawings a thermostatic heat responsive device 11, however, any desired form of heat responsive device may be employed. The thermostat 11. is com posed 01 two metallic strips designated by the numerals 12 and 13 in Fig. 1, of different coeflicients of expansion securedto- Serial No. 179,202.

gether in any customary manner. The thermostat is mounted in the hollow stem 2 of the casing 1 and is secured at its lower end to the bottom of the stem by projections ll iliormcd integral with the end cap 01 the stem 2. The upper end 01 the strips 12 and 18 are provided with an ollset projection at one side thereot designated respectively as 15 and 16. These projections taken together form a fork which I have designated by the numeral 17 in ll 1 and 3.

The thermostat 11 is of course subject to the changes in heat comlition within the space above the ater in the radiator and in consequence of such changes, the upper "forked end 17 will be deflected, the lower end being tit-zed. as hereinbefore described.

A member 18 is mounted by a hub 18 near its lower end on a pin 20 rotatable in aper tures 19, 1.9 in the using 1 at the throat of the hollow stem 2. The pin 20 is held against lateral movement by the dials 9 and lo, as shown in Fig. 3. The upper portion of the member 18 lies within the casing 1. while the lower portion projects into the hollow stem 2. A pin 21 is lixed in the lower end of the member 18 and ex ands bc tween the legs of the :lork 1.7 of the thermostatic element 11. Upon the upper end. 01 the member 18 within the *asing 1 a gear 22 is mounted for rotation in a plane at right angles to the member 18 and is held in place upon the member 18 in any suitable manner. A. disc or indicator flash 28 is fixed to the gear 22 and extends vertically therefrom as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The dial 10 is provided with an arcuale opening of sullicient size and length to permit the disc 23 to be visible throughout the indicating range. The dial 9 :is provided with a corresponding' arcuate opening 24. The lower edge of the arcuate opening 2 1 is bent inward and formed into an arcuate rack 26 meshing with the gear 22.

It will readily be seen that deflection oi. the thermostat 11 will be transmitted to the member 18 thru the pin 17 thus rockii'ig the member 18 to carry the disc 22 and gear 28 mounted thereon along the arcuate openings 24 and 25 in the dials 9 and 10. It is also obvious that the gear and disc will be -rotated when translated by rocking oil the member 18. The gear 22 and rack 26 are so meshed and dimensioned that the disc 28 will be parallel to the dials 9 and 10 at the ends of the indicating range while at the ctepter only the edge of the disc will be vis- 1 e.

One side of the disc 23 I have shown as colored green while the other side I have shown as colored red. The green side is turned toward the operator 'of the automobile upon which my device is mounted when the thermostat is in its lowest position of indication while the red side of the disc faces the operator when a dangerous condition exists within the cooling system at which time the thermostat is at its highest point of indication. Other colors can be used'on the faces of the disc 23 if desired but it is impo-rtant that contrasting colors be chosen and preferably red for the upper indication. Throughout the normal driving range the disc 23 will never face the operator but will be at an angle and will appear as an oval except when at the exact center point when only the side of the disc will be visible. It is desirable that the general character of the indication given by the various positions of the disc 23 be in dicated on the front dial 9. To this end, as shown in Fig 2, the word Cool appears adjacent the lowest indication and the word Steam adjacent the highest indicating position. The normal driving range is indicated bythe words Driving range and by arrows.

Various changes in the construction of the embodiment illustrated in the drawings may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not therefore desire to limit myself to the specific construction shown and described, but to interpret the invention broadly within the scope of the appended claims.

\Vhat I claim as my invention is:

'1. In a device forindieating the condition within an automobile radiator, a heat responsive'device, a member operable thereby, a dial adjacent said member and formed with a gear rack, a gear mounted for rotation on said member and meshing with I said rack, and anindicating member mounted on said gear and rotatable therewith.

2.'In a device for indicating the condition within a radiator, a heat responsive device, a casing, a dial for said: casing formed with an inwardly projecting integral arcuate gear rack, a 'pivotably mounted translatable indicating member operable by said heat responsive device and provided with a gear meshing with said rack and rotatable by translation along said rack.

3. In a device for indicating the condition within an automobile radiator, a device responsive to changes within said radiator, a casing, a dial therefor having an elongated slot formed therein, an indicating element cooperating with said device and mounted for translation along said slot by said device, and means for rotating said element as the same is translated comprising, a gear rack fixed to the dial and a gear operatively connected to said element and meshing with said rack.

4. A device for indicating the condition within a radiator including a casing, a front and a back dial therefor, a. pin passing thru said casing and held against longitudinal displacement by said dials and an indicating member mounted on said pin.

5. A device of the class described including a heat responsive member responsive. to changes of conditions within an automobile radiator, and a. disc-shaped indicating plate positioned thereby to exhibit either side or the edge thereof to the. operator of the automobile depending upon the condition within the radiator.

6. In a device for indicating the condition within an automobile radiator including a heat-responsive clement, an indicating element translated thereby and rotated to indicate changes in conditions within said radiator, said indicating element being of disc shape and having dillcrent colored sides.

7. In a device for indicating conditions within an internal, con'lbnstioii engine rariator, a device responsive to changes in said conditions. a casing, an indicator dial therein-and a disc-shaped indicating clement translated by said condition responsive device across said indicator dial, and a. rack means to visually present the side elevation of the disc during part of its translation.

8. In a heat responsive device for indicating thermal conditions within an internal combustion engine radiator, a. device rcsponsive to heat changes within said radiator, a casing, an indicator dial therein. and a disc-shaped indi 'ating clement translated by said heat responsive device across said indicator dial, and a rack coo wrrding with said indicator dial to visually lament the side elevation of the disc during part of its translation and to visually present the front elevation of the disc during other parts of its translation.

9. In a device for indicating the heat conditions within an internal eonibustirm engine radiator, a device responsive to changes in temperature in said radiator. a casing, an indicator dial therein, and a disc-sll=lpcd indicating element having dili'orcnlly colored faces translated by said temperature rcsponsive device across said indicator dial. and means adjacent said indicator dial visually presenting both faces of the disc and the side elevation of the disc during various parts of its translation.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature to this specification.

HARRISON H. BOYCE. 

